`I can think of no other edifice constructed by man as altruistic as a lighthouse. They were built only to serve.' George Bernard Shaw Since ancient times, long before GPS, radio transmission or radar, lighthouses have served as beacons helping ships to navigate Ireland's sometimes treacherous waters. The earliest lights were simply bonfires built on hillsides; in the fifth century, St Dubhan established a brazier of burning wood or turf on the headland of Hy Kinsellagh (now known as Hook Head). Today, despite technological advances, these coastal icons continue to serve as crucial navigational aids for the maritime traffic of our island nation, from the smallest leisure crafts to cargo ships and trawlers. By day, they mark the way with their instantly recognisable appearances; at night, by the character of their signals. One flash every two seconds tells a sailor that they are near Valentia Island off the coast of Kerry. Four flashes every twenty seconds means that they are further north, approaching Loop Head in County Clare. As well as representing a unique part of our maritime history and built heritage, lighthouses are a powerful symbol of strength and resilience in times of darkness. This evokes an irresistible fascination with them in many people. Artist Roger O'Reilly grew up near the Boyne Estuary lighthouse in County Meath and ever since has associated a sense of peace and reassurance with the warm glow of lighthouse beacons. He has spent two years criss-crossing the country to draw dramatic portraits of these sentinels of our shores. Gathered in this extraordinary collection, each beloved landmark is accompanied by a wealth of practical and insightful information: history, location, elevation, signal and range. This spectacularly illustrated celebration of these architectural gems will be treasured by anyone who finds comfort, intrigue or excitement in the glimmer of a lighthouse through the darkness.

This is a unique celebration of 100 of the most dramatic and storied lighthouses along the coasts of Britain. Illustrated with fantastic retro art by award-winning artist Roger O'Reilly, this guide to the sentinels that guard Britain's shores is aimed at walkers, art lovers, maritime and countryside enthusiasts, and anyone who just loves lighthouses!. From the Lizard in Cornwall to Muckle Flugga at the northern tip of the Shetlands, and out to the forbidding rock stations that lie offshore in the path of ferocious and unforgiving seas, Roger O'Reilly has selected the very best of Britain's lighthouses with all their sea legends, folklore and tales of ghosts, shipwrecks and endurance. Including: Souter on the Sunderland coast, reputed to be haunted by Grace Darling’s niece Isabella, who lived here in the late 1880s. Staff have reported spoons floating in mid-air, unexplained temperature drops, and even being clutched by unseen hands. Ardnamurchan in the far west of Scotland, so remote that its builders came down with scurvy, and fresh fruit and vegetables along with a doctor had to be shipped out to help them. Trinity Buoy Wharf – who knew there was a lighthouse in the heart of London? It's now home to the Longplayer, a continuous 1,000-year long piece of music that will run until 31st December 2999. Smalls, off the Pembrokeshire coast, where in 1801 one keeper died and the other went mad, waiting almost four months for rescue while his dead colleague, fastened to the outside rail because the corpse had started to decompose, stared through the window at him accusingly. Lundy South, occupied by Barbary pirates during the 1600s, and in the 18th century the base of Thomas Benson, one time MP for Barnstaple and Devon’s most notorious smuggler.